BMW celebrates centenary with a line-up of concepts, exhibitions, and events

The BMW group is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016 with a line-up of centenary events focusing on "The Next 100 Years." With an outlook fixed firmly on the future, the group has pioneering concept cars on the agenda, together with a whole series of events.

BMW kicked off the festivities by unveiled the Vision Next 100, a concept car with a sleek coupé design, an autonomous driving mode and a shape-shifting interior. In fact, the car's seats can be shifted to let passengers sit face to face, the steering wheel and center console retract and the headrests turn sideways. The vehicle will be displayed in Beijing May 5-15, 2016, before heading off on a world tour, with destinations including the next Paris Motor Show.

BMW has more world premieres in store for 2016 too, with futuristic Vision concept vehicles from the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, set to be unveiled June 16 in London, and a BMW Motorrad concept car due October 11 in Los Angeles.

After touring the world, these vehicles will be displayed at the BMW Welt plant in Munich, Germany. The site is also home to the BMW museum, which will be celebrating the centenary with a temporary exhibition from March 10, entitled "100 Masterpieces. BMW Group - 100 years of innovative strength and entrepreneurial courage." The exhibition features iconic vehicles like the BMW 328, BMW 507 and BMW Turbo, and looks back over the brand's historical development and its numerous technical decisions.

Later in the year, the "BMW - The Next 100 Years" festival will be coming to the Munich Olympic Park (Olympiapark) and the BMW museum, September 9-11, for a weekend of entertainment and experiences in the company of celebrities, brand ambassadors, musicians and DJs.

The anniversary is also being celebrated with a collection of 13 centenary publications, tracing the history of the group and its various brands (BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad) and outlining future challenges. In autumn 2016, the publications will be grouped together and released as a comprehensive limited-edition work.